


Burn to Gold

by smaragdbird



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Conflict of Interests, Falling In Love, Kinda, M/M, Pre-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, rumlow leaves hydra
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 03:59:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9474704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: Rumlow notices that he's falling for Steve for real and that interferes with his loyalty to Hydra





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [this ](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/19994.html?thread=49260826#t49260826) prompt

The morning after the first night Steve stayed over, Brock got out of bed, showered and made breakfast like he usually did and only noticed afterwards that there was no sign of Steve being up. He walked back to his bedroom and found him still wrapped in blankets and asleep.

“Didn’t think I wore you out that badly last night”, Brock said.

Instead of an answer all he got was an unwilling noise from underneath the covers.

Brock laughed. “Captain America isn’t a morning person. Who knew?” He poked the side of the Steve shaped lump with his knee. “Come on, I made coffee.”

The noise was a little louder this time. Apparently Steve had strong opinions about being woken up.

“If you don’t get up, I’ll tell Natasha why exactly you’re so resistant to her matchmaking.”

Brock laughed when Steve’s response was to burrow deeper into the pillows. A warm feeling spread through his chest that he hadn’t felt in too long.

/

“I’m sorry”, Steve said a couple hours later as he pulled Brock aside during training. “I’m not a morning person.”

“You don’t say.”

There was a blush spreading across Steve’s face. “Try not to take it personally if I’m a little gruff in the morning.”

“Not like you’re much different when you’re awake”, Brock teased him. He grinned when Steve gave him a look.

“So you wouldn’t mind if I come over tonight again?” There was Steve playing coy and there was this when Steve was genuinely uncertain, and Brock felt the urge to kiss him anyway.

“Only if you can beat me on the mat”, Brock smirked.

Steve rolled his eyes.

/

The first time Brock came to Steve’s apartment he could see why Steve usually insisted coming to his place, apart from the whole my-place-is-bugged-issue. It was a nice enough apartment if slightly too big for one person, but it also looked like something out of a catalogue and not something Steve would’ve picked on his own.

“Are the books yours or did Shield pick them out for you?” Brock asked, studying Steve’s well filled bookcase. He wouldn’t have thought that most of these would interest Steve but maybe he was wrong.

“Mostly Shield”, Steve said from the kitchen. “The DVDs are all mine though.”

That caught Brock’s attention so he wandered over to inspect Steve’s collection. There were a few movies from the thirties and early forties as expected and also, “Why do you have all Disney movies?”

“I like Disney. And Scifi. I was a bit disappointed you guys didn’t have flying cars yet.”

“At least we have aliens”, Brock replied.

“Could’ve done without those.” Steve said as he came back into the living room, having put their take-out on two plates. “Do you want anything to drink? I have orange juice and coffee.”

“Guess there’s no beer since you can’t get drunk.” Brock settled down on the couch. “Orange juice it is. I don’t need alcohol to make out with you on your couch and scandalise the Shield analysts.”

Steve laughed. “Maybe we should’ve gone to your place instead.”

Brock shook his head. “It’s good for the office gossip.”

/

“Hey are you coming for drinks after?” Jolene asked as she stowed her gear.

Brock was about to reply that he couldn’t when Jack said, “Nah, he has to go home to his boyfriend.”

Within a split second all of his team’s attention was on him. They might be Shield’s and Hydra’s best assault team but they were also the biggest bunch of gossips he had ever met.

“Anyone we know?” Rodriguez asked.

Brock shot Jack a warning look that was blithely ignored. “Steve Rogers.”

Jolene whistled. “Well played.”

“So is he perfect everywhere?” Rodriguez asked with the dirtiest grin Brock had ever seen from her. 

“Come on, is he?” Cho wanted to know as well.

“None of your fucking business”, Brock told them.

“Guess that’s a no”, Rodriguez replied. “Shame.”

“He’s taken anyway”, Cho said. “And hey, he can still be perfect in your fantasy.”

I’m going to kill you, Brock mouthed at Jack who grinned unrepentantly.

/

Somehow Steve managed to become a permanent inhabitant of Brock’s flat. They didn’t really talk about it but one day eight months into their relationship, Brock realised that Steve’s clothes were at his place, their combined products took up all of his bathroom space and Steve’s art supplies had their own drawer. Steve had his own key and Brock was pretty sure he slept at Brock’s place even when he wasn’t there. He hadn’t even noticed it until Jack pointed it out. He and Jack had gone to Brock’s place for a couple beers after work when Brock had found the post card in his mail. It was from Steve dated a week ago from Chile. It wasn’t long just a few sentences about the weather and one of Natasha’s jokes. When he looked up Jack grinned at him.

“What?”

“You should see your face. Haven’t seen that stupid smile in years.”

“Fuck you”, but he felt himself blush. Fuck.

Jack’s shit-eating grin got even broader. “It’s serious. You actually went with the biggest cliché in the book and fell for your mark.”

“Steve’s not my mark. I’m just supposed to keep an eye on him.”

“Is that what you tell the boss when asks why you and Rogers are attached at the hip?” Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “Or why he’s practically living with you?”

“He does not – “Brock started but then he realised just how much space Steve took up in his apartment and how much time he spent there. “It’s complicated.”

“I give you that”, Jack said. “What are you going to do?”

/

He went directly to Pierce. He was open about his situation, why he wanted to retire from active duty when it came to Hydra missions. About Steve. Pierce listened to him with an impassive face.

“I’m disappointed to lose you, Agent Rumlow”, he said finally. “You’re one of our top agents for a reason. I wouldn’t have thought you could be compromised this easily.”

Brock shrugged because what else could he say?

“But I understand that you want to avoid a conflict of interests. Just be warned that if Captain Rogers goes against Hydra he will be put down and so will you.”

“I understand.”

“The same goes if we ever have reason to doubt your loyalty”, Pierce added.

“I know.”

“I assume there is nothing I can do to change your mind short of blackmail which in your case would be counter-productive?”

“No, sir.”

“Then I will have to accept your resignation. You’re dismissed Agent Rumlow.”

“Thank you, sir”, Rumlow said and he meant it.

/

He went to Steve’s place immediately afterwards. When Steve opened the door, Brock kissed him hungrily, crowding him against the nearest wall. He needed the reassurance that he had done the right thing, that this was worth it. Jack and the rest of his team would give him hell for it tomorrow but right now he needed to drown any doubts in Steve’s body.

“That was…are you okay?” Steve asked afterwards, still flushed and out of breath, his voice sounding a little hoarse.

“Move in with me”, Brock said instead of answer. “You hate this place anyway.”

Steve looked a little surprised. “You know they’re going to bug your place if I move in.”

Brock shrugged and kissed him. “Something tells me it’ll be worth it.”

“Okay”, Steve grinned happily. “Think you have enough space for my Disney collection?”

“I have a cellar.”

Steve boxed him lightly in the arm. “What about your team?”

“They already know we’re together.”

“And Shield?”

“Don’t you think they’d have pulled one of us from by the team by now if they thought it’d be a problem?”

“Fair enough.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [ here](http://smaragdbird.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


End file.
